"I love doing this kind of work. Getting paid to do something you love is the reason I continue doing this," said a grinning Killian, 52, whom rescue workers from Miami-Dade County's Venom Response Team refer to as a "frequent flier" because he's been bitten so many times.

Summer is when the snakes come out in South Florida, and experts are advising residents to be careful. The Miami-Dade team responded to more than 400 snake bite calls statewide last year.

However, the true number of venomous snake bites in Florida is unclear because there is no central clearinghouse for reporting them, said Capt. Ernie Jillson, who is in charge of the team.

To be safe, don't touch, say those who know snakes and handle them regularly.

A self-taught herpetologist who's been handling venomous snakes for more than 35 years, Killian figures he's been bitten about 60 times. But the threat of a poisonous bite has never been enough to stop him.

If there's a hospital nearby, Killian figures he'll be fine. He keeps an air horn on hand so he can summon help if the need arises while he cares for venomous reptiles at the Everglades Outpost Inc., a not-for-profit wildlife refuge in Homestead.

During a recent cobra-handling demonstration, Killian grasped the lethal snake with his hands, then bent forward and kissed it on its head. In another instance, he scooped a highly-venomous coral snake from its cage with a small hook and dangled it inches from his face.

"I've had my heart stop on me once, I've been in respiratory failure three times, and I've been in paralysis three times due to the bite of the snakes," said Killian. "The worst thing about a neurotoxic bite is when you go into respiratory failure, and go into paralysis, your brain is completely awake. If someone lifts your eyelid, you can see them."

His last poisonous bite occurred about four years ago, when a western diamondback rattlesnake struck him with a single fang during a demonstration for a group of students.

Although rescue workers responded, Killian refused to take antivenin. His calf swelled to twice its normal size, but he recovered.

Medical personnel who have treated Killian admit he's different from most of the bite victims they encounter.

"Albert takes snake-handling to a new level," Jillson said. "He's a professional and if you are going to work in the trade of snake handling, you're going to get bit. He does have good techniques and skills. But kissing a cobra or free-handling a cobra, those are things I wouldn't do as a snake handler."

Owning venomous snakes requires a special license issued by the state of Florida. A minimum requirement is 1,000 hours working with the serpents. Killian's experience spans almost a lifetime, an attraction he developed when he was about 8.

By the time he was in his 20s, he owned thousands of venomous snakes and was being called upon to talk about the snakes at schools and community events.

"I just loved animals and my interest in these snakes became stronger over the years," Killian said.

His curiosity spiraled at a young age when he realized so many people feared and hated snakes.

While he admits he's a bit of a showman, Killian's aim is to promote respect, safety and a greater understanding of snakes.

Killian considers every one of his snake bites a learning experience.

"When you do something continually, over and over, you play the law of averages," Killian said. "The more you do it, the more likely you are to get bit."

If you don't want to get bit, don't touch, Killian said.

And if you must?

"Do it well when you do it, and don't do it often," chuckled Killian, whose left ring finger is permanently crooked from the tissue damage caused years ago by a rattlesnake bite.

Sallie James can be reached at Sjames@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2019